Professor Lionel Wee will be appointed the new dean of the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) and co-dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences from 1 October 2021.

The top skills desired by employers will include critical thinking, analysis, problem-solving and self-management skills such as active learning, resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility.

The just-released problem statement for NUS CHS’ inaugural Case Competition – Encouraging electric vehicle (EV) ownership in Singapore – is an important real-world topic of especial relevance to us all, as the nation is driving toward a future of electric mobility that is essential to the Singapore Green Plan 2030.

NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye discusses the University’s recent interdisciplinary initiatives – the setting up of the College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS) and the new Common Curriculum for the Faculty of Engineering and the School of Design and Environment – and the importance of lifelong learning in ensuring that students are adaptable and future-ready.

We tap the minds of Ms Cher Whee Sim, Vice President (Global Talent Acquisition & Mobility), Micron Technology, and Ms Agatha Soh, Regional Head of People, Shopee, to find out about the skills they value and what interdisciplinary skills – defined as the ability to integrate and apply different perspectives to solve complex problems – they hope their hires bring to the workplace.

COVID-19 has made life within and beyond the classroom virtually (pun intended) unrecognisable. Stripped of the in-person interactions so vital to the student experience, some might say that universities have lost their value and become yet another casualty of the pandemic. But institutions of higher learning still have legs — if they dare to re-imagine themselves.

Mr Jonathan Sim, instructor from the Department of Philosophy, describes how he engaged with local employers to open internship opportunities to humanities and social sciences students who would not previously have been considered.

Faculty and students talk about what life has been for them this past year, what they miss about campus life, and extend words of advice and congratulations to the graduating Classes of 2020 and 2021.